With fewer than 100 days remaining until the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Korea's shooting sport team has begun building momentum towards another major international competition following its record-breaking success at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
During a recent media event promoting the national team, attention focused on Olympic champions Oh Yejin and Yang Jiin, who will lead the Korean squad at the Asian Games later this year.
Oh, who captured gold in the 10m Air Pistol Women event at her Olympic debut in Paris, secured her place on the Asian Games team after finishing first in both the 10m Air Pistol and 25m Pistol selection trials earlier this year. The talented Korean athlete expressed confidence that her best performances are still ahead of her.
"I don't think I've shown my best yet. I believe there's still room for me to go higher."
Her victory in the 25m Pistol trials included a new Korean national record, setting up an intriguing rivalry with fellow Olympic champion Yang Jiin, who won gold in the same event at Paris 2024.
The pair exchanged light-hearted comments during the press conference, with Oh joking that she would be working hard to outperform her teammate, while Yang responded by promising to raise her own level even further.
Another familiar face at the event was Kim Yeji, who returned to competition in April for the first time after taking a break for pregnancy and childcare. Although she narrowly missed selection for the Asian Games team, Kim remains determined to continue her comeback and is still targeting future international competitions, including the ISSF World Championships in Doha later this year should she qualify.
Despite not competing at the Asian Games, Kim praised the strength of Korea's current generation of pistol athletes.
"It's a golden generation — they shoot so well. Ye-jin's strength is her boldness; she shoots with real courage. Ji-in's strength is her careful, precise approach — deliberate with every single shot."
Korea enjoyed its most successful Olympic shooting campaign at Paris 2024, and expectations will once again be high as the team heads to Aichi-Nagoya. With established Olympic champions, emerging talents and experienced athletes returning to competition, the nation looks set to remain one of the leading forces in international shooting sport throughout the 2026 season.
